Gutter cleaning tool

ABSTRACT

A tool for the cleaning of debris from elevated house gutters while manually operated by a person standing on the ground, the tool comprised of a substantially flat blade having a bottom surface contoured to fit the interior of the gutter in a manner to scrape along the bottom thereof, the blade having an arm projecting outwardly therefrom and pivotally connected to a bracket mounted on the end of a longitudinally elongated handle such that the blade is adjustable to various angles relative to the handle for ease of inserting the blade into the gutter and moving the same along the gutter to scrape the bottom thereof free of debris.

United States Patent [1 1 Swannie [111 I 3,858,267 Jan. 7, 1975 GUTTER CLEANING TOOL [76] Inventor: Arthur Swannie, 241 Roslyn St.,

Buffalo, NY. 14215 [22] Filed: Dec. 21, 1973 [21 App]. No.: 427,054

[52] U.S. Cl. 15/236 R, 15/144 R, 294/19 R [51] Int. Cl E04d 13/06 [58] Field of Search 15/144 R, 144 B, 145, 160,

15/236 R, 143 B; 294/19 R, 55; 401/9 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,817,867 12/1957 Bugbird 15/236 R X 2,896,239 7/1959 Bugbird 15/144 B 3,626,542 12/1971 Despain 15/236 R OTHER PUBLICATIONS Magazine, Popular Science Monthly," September 1938, page 68, Article Entitled Cleans Eaves Troughs. Y

Pririiary Examiner-Daniel Blum 57] ABSTRACT A tool for the cleaning of debris from elevated house gutters while manually operated by a person standing on the ground, the tool comprised of a substantially flat blade having a bottom surface contoured to fit the interior of the gutter in a manner to scrape along the bottom thereof, the blade having an arm projecting outwardly therefrom and pivotally connected to a bracket mounted on the end of a longitudinally elongated handle such that the blade is adjustable to various angles relative to the handle for ease of inserting the blade into the-gutter and moving the same along the gutter to scrape the bottom thereof free of debris.

3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Patented Jan. 7, 1975 Elli/l,

I) I l 1 GUTTER CLEANING TOOL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to cleaning devices and more particularly to a novel and improved gutter cleaning tool adapted for the cleaning of debris from elevated roof gutters while being manually operated and supported by a person standing on the ground.

2. Description of the Prior Art It is a common household problem that leaves, twigs and other debris tend to collect in the roof gutters of homes and other buildings and, if not periodically removed therefrom, accumulates therein to the point of interfering with the drainage function of the gutters. This problem may become particularly acute when the leaves are matted down or compacted in the gutter since they then can clog the downspouts and cause a serious difficulty to the homeowner. In order to remove the debris that collects in a gutter, the homeowner must either climb up to the gutter by use of a ladder placed along side the gutter, clean the portion of the gutter reached from the ladder and then climb down the ladder to move the ladder to a different location to reach a new portion of the gutter, this being a tiimeconsuming and laborious job in that the homeowner doing the cleaning job has to climb up and down the ladder at each new location thereof to completely clean the entire length of gutter.

Alternatively, to remove the debris from the gutter the homeowner must climb onto the roof of the home and then proceed to clean the gutter with a hand tool or the like, this being a time-consuming and laborious operation which is conducted at great risk of personal injury to the homeowner as to the possibility of falling off the roof. Further, this climbing and walking along the edge of the roof is injurious to the roof shingles and can readily cause roof problems requiring further work and repair by the homeowner.

As to those persons who are elderly or handicapped such that it is difficult or injurious to their health to climb a ladder and obviously impossible for them to walk along a roof in order to clean the gutters, the job of their cleaning gutters becomes impossible such that they must incur the financial burden of paying others to perform the cleaning function for them.

In view of these problems it has been proposed in the prior art to provide implements for cleaning gutters by a person standing on the ground. However, many of these devices have required that the person using the same perform operations in the use thereof which require some skill and expertise in the operating of the implement so as to not be readily used by the normal homeowner not possessing such skills and expertise. Other proposed implements have been found to not be particularly satisfactory in the thorough cleaning of the gutters.

An additional problem posed by implements for cleaning gutters by a person standing on the ground involves the difficulty in cleaning the gutters about transversely extending hanger braces or support spikes which pass over or through the gutters and are used to secure the gutters to the house.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention remedies and overcomes the foregoing deficiencies and disadvantages of presently available implements intended for the cleaning of gutters by a person standing on the ground by providing a novel solution thereto in the form of a gutter cleaning tool having a blade with a bottom surface contoured to engage the gutter bottom surface and to be moved therealong by an elongated handle affixed to an arm projecting from the blade with the handle being moved along the gutter by a person on the ground walking along the gutter without the need for ladders or the like. The angle between the blade and the handle is adjustable for ease of use by the individual as to moving along the ground while scraping the gutters and not being obstructed by shrubberies, bushes, or the like.

It is a feature of the present invention to provide a gutter cleaning tool for removing debris from roof gutters by a person standing on the ground which is easy to use and requires a minimum of skill and little or no previous experience with the use of the tool.

A further feature of the present invention'provides a gutter cleaning tool having a cleaning blade adapted to easily enter the gutter interior from above and which is designed to substantially fit the contour of the bottom of the gutter.

Still a further feature of the present invention pro vides a gutter cleaning tool for use by a person standing on the ground and which enables the debris in the gutter to be readily pushed under and cleaned away from transversely extending gutter hanger braces or spike members transversely extending through or over the gutter.

Among the further features and advantages of the present invention is the provision of a gutter cleaning tool intended for use by a person standing on the ground and which is of a relatively simple construction and which therefore may be readily manufactured at a relatively low cost and by simple manufacturing methods; one which is possessed of few parts and which therefore is unlikely to get out of order; one which is rugged and durable in construction and which therefore may be guaranteed by the manufacturer to withstand many years of intended usage; one which is easy to use and reliable and efficient in operation; and one which is otherwise well adapted to perform the services required of it.

Other features and advantages of this invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which like reference characters are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

FIG. 1 is a perspective elevational view of a portion of a house provided with a conventional roof gutter and illustrating the gutter cleaning tool of the present invention being used to clean the gutter by a person standing on the ground;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along Line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a roof gutter illustrating the gutter cleaning tool therein;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the gutter cleaning tool;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the gutter cleaning tool; and

FIG. 6 is a back elevational view of the gutter cleaning tool with the blade adjusted at an angle to the bracket.

DESCRIPTION OFTI-IE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in detail there is illustrated a preferred form of a gutter cleaning tool constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and designated generally in its entirety by the reference numeral 10 and which is comprised of a substantially flat blade 11 having an arm member 12 projecting outwardly from a side edge thereof and terminating adjacent the top end of a bracket 13 having a pair of U-shaped bolts 14 disposed in longitudinal alignment therealong and adapted to affix to the bracket 13 the top end portion of a handle 15 which extends downwardly from the blade and is adapted to be grasped in the hand of a person 16 standing on the ground 17.

The gutter cleaning tool 10 may be manufactured out of metal, wood, hard rubber, plastic, or any other suitable satisfactory material.

As seen in FIG. 1 there is illustrated a portion of a house 20 having a generally horizontally extending gutter 21 of a conventional box-like shape which is installed beneath the eaves of a roof 22 and provided with a downspout 23 at one end thereof for carrying away rain water from the gutter. The tool 10 is illustrated as being held in an operative position by the person 16 standing on the ground 17 below the gutter 21 with'the blade 11 disposed in the gutter for moving therealong to remove debris therefrom.

The blade 11 is of a substantially flat configuration having bottom edge 31, opposed side edges 32 and 33, and a top edge 34 with the arm 12 projecting outwardly of side edge 33 and terminating at end 35. Bottom edge 31 is shaped to the inner contour of a standard gutter 21 by being provided with recess portion 36 thereon. Further, the corner of the blade diagonally opposite from recessed portion 36 and defined between top edge 34 and side edge 32 is cut off at an angle to define a diagonal edge 37 permitting clearance of the blade 11 from any roof shingle overhang as the blade is moved along the length of the gutter 21 during the cleaning procedure.

Arm 12 is affixed adjacent end 35 to the top end of bracket 13 which is of a substantially flat rectangular configuration and which extends downwardly from the arm in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the blade 11, the arm being secured to the bracket by use of a bolt 41 passing through aligned apertures in the arm and bracket and being secured thereto in an adjustable manner by a wing nut 42 threaded onto the bolt, this permitting an individual to adjust the angle between the blade and the bracket such as seen in FIG.

The bracket 13 when viewed in a vertical position is seen as being provided with a pair of horizontally extending U-shaped bolts 14 which extend through sets of apertures provided therefor in the bracket and are secured by associated wing nuts 45 to the bracket, the bolts 14 receiving therethrough the top end 46 of the elongated handle member 15.

and pushing the blade 11 along the interior of the gutter while applying slight downward pressure on the handle 15 to retain the bottom edge 31 of the blade in contact with the bottom surface of the gutter 21, this moving the debris in the gutter along the bottom of the gutter in front of the blade in the direction of movement. When the blade 11 encounters a transversely extending gutter hanging brace or supporting spike which extends transversely of the gutter, the person 16 merely operates the handle 15 in a manner to tilt the blade 11 slightly forwardly at the bottom edge 31 thereof to push the debris under the hanger or spike, after which the blade 11 is lifted out of the top of the gutter and then reinserted into the gutter on the opposite side of the hanger or spike with the blade bottom edge 31 tilted slightly backwardly to slide beneath the hanger or spike and thus return to a position behind the debris in the gutter. This procedure is continued until the end of the .In operation the blade 11 is inserted in the gutter 21 6 substantially normal to the axis of the gutter, the person 16 then merely walking along the side of the house 20 gutter is reached at which time the debris may be scooped out of the gutter by a scooping sweeping like motion of the blade to thus throw the debris from the gutter onto the ground.

By the axis of the bracket 13 being shiftable relative to the blade 11 by pivot bolt 41 it is seen that an individual may readily select the distance they wish to stand outwardly from the house in moving the blade along the house while in the gutter so as to avoid encountering bushes, shrubbery, or other obstacles along side the house.

It is to be understood that the form of this invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that this invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawings or described in this specification as various changes in the details of construction as to shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of the novel concepts thereof, or the scope of the sub-joined claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed 1. A tool for the cleaning of debris from elevated household gutters and adapted to be manipulated by a person standing on'the ground below the gutter, the tool comprising:

a substantially flat generally rectangularly shaped blade member having a bottom edge, a top edge, and opposed side edges, said bottom edge being contoured to fit the interior bottom surface of the gutter to be cleaned, said top edge adjacent the side edge of said tool adapted to engage the side of the gutter nearest the house being inclined downwardly from said top edge to said side edge to provide clearance for roof overhang so as to not interfere with the operation of the blade;

an arm member formed integrally with said blade and projecting outwardly substantially at right angles to the length of the blade from the side edge of said blade opposite the side edge adapted to be disposed nearest the house, said arm forming a sub stantial extension of said blade top edge and adapted to engage a horizontal extension of the gutter;

a substantially flat rectangularly shaped bracket member having one end pivotally connected to said projecting end of said arm member with said opposite end projecting outwardly therefrom and movable in a swinging plane thereabout which is substantially parallel to the plane of said blade memher; an elongated rod like member having one end adapted to be affixed to said bracket member and having the opposite end projecting away from said bracket member and adapted to be grasped in the hands of the person standing on the ground; and

means detachably attaching said rod member to said bracket member.

2. The gutter cleaning tool as set forth in claim 1 wherein said bracket is pivotally attached to said blade arm by a bolt extending axially through aligned apertures provided in said blade arm and said bracket, and a wing nut threadedly engaging the projecting end of said bolt and adapted to frictionally retain said blade member at any selected angle relative to the axis of said bracket member.

3. The gutter cleaning tool as set forth in claim 2 wherein said means for affixing said rod end to said bracket member comprises a pair of longitudinally spaced apart and aligned U-shaped bolt members, each bolt member projecting through pairs of associated apertures provided in said bracket member, and a plurality of wing nuts with each wing nut associated with one end of one of said U-shaped bolts and adapted to secure the same to the bracket, and said end of said rod member adapted to pass through said aligned bight portions of said U-shaped bolt members and to be secured therein by the tightening of said wing nuts. 

1. A tool for the cleaning of debris from elevated household gutters and adapted to be manipulated by a person standing on the ground below the gutter, the tool comprising: a substantially flat generally rectangularly shaped blade member having a bottom edge, a top edge, and opposed side edges, said bottom edge being contoured to fit the interior bottom surface of the gutter to be cleaned, said top edge adjacent the side edge of said tool adapted to engage the side of the gutter nearest the house being inclined downwardly from said top edge to said side edge to provide clearance for roof overhang so as to not interfere with the operation of the blade; an arm member formed integrally with said blade and projecting outwardly substantially at right angles to the length of the blade from the side edge of said blade opposite the side edge adapted to be disposed nearest the house, said arm forming a substantial extension of said blade top edge and adapted to engage a horizontal extension of the gutter; a substantially flat rectangularly shaped bracket member having one end pivotally connected to said projecting end of said arm member with said opposite end projecting outwardly therefrom and movable in a swinging plane thereabout which is substantially parallel to the plane of said blade member; an elongated rod like member having one end adapted to be affixed to said bracket member and having the opposite end projecting away from said bracket member and adapted to be grasped in the hands of the person standing on the ground; and means detachably attaching said rod member to said bracket member.
 2. The gutter cleaning tool as set forth in claim 1 wherein said bracket is pivotally attached to said blade arm by a bolt extending axially through aligned apertures provided in said blade arm and said bracket, and a wing nut threadedly engaging the projecting end of said bolt and adapted to frictionally retain said blade member at any selected angle relative to the axis of said bracket member.
 3. The gutter cleaning tool as set forth in claim 2 wherein said means for affixing said rod end to said bracket member comprises a pair of longitudinally spaced apart and aligned U-shaped bolt members, each bolt member projecting through pairs of associated apertures provided in said bracket member, and a plurality of wing nuts with each wing nut associated with one end of one of said U-shaped bolts and adapted to secure the same to the bracket, and said end of said rod member adapted to pass through said aligned bight portions of said U-shaped bolt members and to be secured therein by the tightening of said wing nuts. 